UAB Jazz Ensemble, student win top honors at Hall of Fame competition

UAB Jazz Ensemble named Most Outstanding College Band; Kameron Dickerson wins Most Outstanding College Soloist at the 12th annual Hall of Fame competition.

Photo credit Rebekah FountainThe University of Alabama at Birmingham Jazz Ensemble won the top award, Most Outstanding College Band, on Saturday, April 19, at the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame’s 12th annual Student Jazz Band Festival competition.

The UAB Jazz Ensemble’s lead alto saxophonist, Kameron Dickerson, won the top individual award, Most Outstanding College Soloist. Dickerson, of Birmingham, is finishing his third year at UAB. He is a graduate of the Alabama School of Fine Arts and is the grandson of bass player and jazz great Cleve Eaton.

The UAB Jazz Ensemble performed “Down By the Riverside” arranged by Oliver Nelson, “It’s All Right With Me” by Porter/Goodwin, “Sweet Georgia Brown” by Bernie/Pinkard/Casey/Taylor and “Bolivia” by Walton/Metzger.

The competition, held April 16, 17 and 19, showcased middle school, high school and collegiate jazz ensembles from across Alabama and beyond as they performed back to back in the historic Carver Theatre, according to the AJHOF website.

An estimated 625 students will participate in the commencement ceremony, and 745 students will graduate. The university’s highest degrees will be conferred on 79 students from 18 states and seven countries in the doctoral hooding ceremony.

Students will present papers on topics as diverse as the Aztecs’ bloody past, the Egyptian goddess Isis, Charles-François Daubigny’s floating studio, a mask of the female Sande society and the representation of women in 18th-century French portraiture.

The UAB Bachelor of Fine Arts exhibition represents the culmination of a diverse and intensive program of undergraduate study and will feature illustration, photography and printmaking by Lucy Allen, Amber Gomez and Anna-Kate Marcum.

The Association of Schools of Allied Health Professions awards the Scholarship of Excellence annually to 12 students across the nation who excel in their academic programs and have significant potential to take on future leadership roles in health professions.

The Department of Music presents this annual favorite, featuring UAB Concert Choir and Chamber Singers, the UAB Trumpet Ensemble, choirs and ensembles from area high schools, and the Steel City Men’s Chorus.

Olatuja and her band will open the concert, and the UAB Gospel Choir will then join her in performing holiday-inspired songs. Olatuja also will lead a vocal master class with students in the choir. UAB students, employees, faculty and alumni may purchase $10 tickets.

UAB and the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute hosted a panel discussion Tuesday night in a lecture hall full of students, faculty and Birmingham residents to talk about civil discourse after a heated election season.

Everyone’s looking for a little peace — and students have found it in the UAB College of Arts and Sciences, a growing hub for the study of peaceful societies, human rights, nonviolent conflict resolution, and related topics. Discover useful tips for defusing friction with family and neighbors, and learn more about the practical lessons of peace.

More than 35 music students and guest performers will tell the story of shepherd boy Amahl, who sees an enormous star and is met with regal visitors bearing gifts. The production features a full set, orchestra, costumes and more.

Department of Art and Art History students will give performances on sound effects added to film and pair images of artworks from across the 20th century to 12 corresponding items from the Department of Theatre’s historical costume collection.